Clean Hearts

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10 NRSV

Yesterday was a definite day of rest! Both my mind and body crashed after two days of driving, one of them in bumper to bumper traffic. As it was Sunday and I was not at home to worship with my own congregation, I attended worship at one of those large praise type services with my granddaughter and daughter-in-law. The sermon was pretty good. The music was a little loud for this old Lutheran. But, it did bring back memories of one of my mentors, Pr. Al Goodrich. The opening and closing praise song was something about giving your heart to Jesus. Pr. Al loved it when people would talk about giving their hearts to Jesus. His response would be, "Why would Jesus want that filthy thing! Jesus wants to give you a clean heart!"

Christmas and Christianity is not about what we can give to God; but, what God has already done and given for us. We celebrate because God is indeed willing and able to create in us clean hearts. We are not Christians because of what we have done; but, because of what God has done for us. Thanks be to God for His good and gracious gifts!

Merry Christmas!

God's Peace Pr. J

Faith Alone!

"Look at the proud!
    Their spirit is not right in them,    but the righteous live by their faith." Habakkuk 2:4.

Wisdom sometimes comes with age (but, not always). It never ceases to amaze me how some of our eldest brothers and sisters in Christ are able to humble themselves and confess their sins. These sins that they confess seem to pale in comparison to some of the sins that others do not confess.

The ability to understand that all sin no matter whether we consider them big or small sins are an abomination before God. It is understood that none of us are without sin; that we are made righteous only be faith in the Son of God who died for us. There is nothing that we can do to save ourselves. There is nothing that we can do or avoid doing in order to stand before God and be proclaimed innocent.

We are saved by faith alone. Sometimes, it just takes years of being humbled in order to be humble enough to know that we are indeed sinners and are saved by faith alone. This is a gift of God.

God's Peace - Pr. J

1 John 3 Children of God

1 John 3 NIV
Are you a child of God? St. John reminds all of God's children to not let anyone lead us astray. We have the Spirit of Christ abiding in us. We know the difference between right and wrong by the indwelling Spirit.

It is easy to be led astray. The world does not know the love of God. The world will despise the children of God. But, we want to be accepted. We want to be loved by the people around us so we might find ourselves following in the footsteps of those who are not the children of God; of those who do not know Him.

No one wants to be an outsider. No one wants to be persecuted. But, in order to follow in the path of Jesus both will most likely occur. The world will not have it otherwise. If God's only begotten Son was persecuted; so shall be all who are adopted into His family through the blood of Jesus the Christ.

May God help us to live as children of our Most High God.

God's Peace - Pr. Judy

Col 3 Be Kind

Colossians 3 NIV

Compassion, kindness, gentleness,
patience....

A friend recently tried to do a favor for someone; even though he had no clue as to who it was that he was trying to help. He was just trying to do the right thing. He was trying to help someone in need. For trying to do the right thing he was majorly disrespected. We live in a world where people can really be ugly to others even when they are being served with the best of intentions by others. Compassion, kindness, gentleness, patience are often greeted with anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language. I am confident that this will not stop this friend from doing the right thing in the future nor should it ever stop us from living life according to the love and peace that we have received in Christ.

St. Paul reminds us that whatever we do we should do at it with all our hearts, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. He reminds us to say and do all that we can to promote peace among us; to respect and to love one another. Do not let the haters in this world stop you from living life in Christ, pray for them. And, whatever you do, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Romans 13:1-7 Do Not Resist Arrest

Romans 13:1-7 NIV
Ok.. I've been waiting for this lesson.

Message for the day: If you are asked by an officer of the law to stop; STOP. Do not attempt to flee. Do not resist arrest. Do not assault the officer in any manner; physically or verbally. Just, don't do it. It's not the way to go. It will not turn out well for you or anyone else.

"Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience." (vs 1-5)

There are ways to peacefully protest. Harming or attempting to harm police officers or civilians who might get in the way is definitely not the way to go. Looting or damaging the property others have worked hard to obtain or maintain is definitely not the way in which a Christian would go.

May God grant us peaceful resolutions and reconciliation. May He help us to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Remember that Jesus did not raise a hand to defend himself nor would he allow his disciples to fight when he was arrested.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Acts 18:1-17 Truth In Corinth

Acts 18:1-17 NIV
Paul does relatively well in Corinth. That is; he is able to testify that Jesus is the Messiah for about a year and a half in relative peace. I say relative because at one point he shook out his clothes in protest against the Jews who opposed his teaching and told them that from then on he was going to the Gentiles. The truth was not without opposition, even in Corinth.

Have you ever been in a debate that is pretty much one-sided? No matter what you say the other person shouts you down? They might even scream at you or threaten you if you don't shut up? They are adamant that their way is right and are not open to hearing any other truth. There are times when we must shake the dust off our shoes and move on. When, no matter what we say, we run up against bullies who will reject you and the healing word that you bring, then it may be best to quit wasting our and their time and move on to those who will hear and if they have doubts or questions will ask with an open heart and mind; desiring to hear and understand.

Debate is good. Discussion is good. But, both sides must be open to empathic listening to the other person. Paul presented the truth with reasoning from scripture. He did this with empathy, understanding where they were coming from. When certain people would not listen to the truth about Jesus, Paul simply moved on. He did not attack them as he had been attacked.

May God soften the hearts of those who reject the truth and who persecute those who are trying to help them follow in a better way.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Acts 7:54-60 NIV Forgive Those Who Would Destroy You

Acts 7:54-60 NIV
There are times when we think that we will never be able to forgive someone. Yet, here is Stephen following in the footsteps of Jesus, forgiving those who are putting him to death. A young man Saul, is witness to this event. This young man you probably know better as St. Paul, missionary to the gentiles. Yes, Paul was there to witness the stoning of Stephen. He encouraged it as Saul was a great persecutor of the Christians. Until the day that Saul met the ascended Lord on the way to Damascus. The Lord wanted to know why Saul was so busy persecuting him and his followers. That is the day that the old man in Saul died and Paul began to live and serve the Lord even to his own death. One of the most ardent persecutors of Christians became one of the greatest missionaries ever. We can never know what the Lord has in store for any of us, even our enemies.

Forgive your enemies and pray for them, even as our Lord Jesus and Paul and many other saints before and among have gone to their deaths, praying for and forgiving their enemies. For our hope is not in this world; but that as we (and all whom we encounter) draw our last breaths that we, too, might look to the heaven and see the glory of God, with Jesus standing at His right hand.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Mark 15:42-47 Conflict of Interest

Mark 15:42-47 NIV
There was a council member who abstained during the vote of the council of a small congregation. It was concerning the expenditure of about $100.00 for a non-essential item in the church. The budget was very small. The Pastor voted no as a similar item could be purchased for about $10.00 or less, citing poor stewardship. The rest of the council voted for the expenditure. But, this is not about stewardship. It is about why one council member would abstain. It was not a matter of conflict of interest for the council member to vote. Well, I guess there was a conflict of interest. He would not make a decision as a council member in order to stay on the good side of everyone. He simply did not want to offend the Pastor or the rest of the Council by voting against either one so he chose to do nothing. He just wanted to be a nice Lutheran and not offend anyone.

It was the hierarchy in the church that wanted Jesus out of their way. Yet, it was one council member who was willing to put his own life on the line and stand up for Jesus. Jesus was dead, so how was he going to know if Joseph of Arimathea stood by him? But, Joseph had hope in the Kingdom and it was important to Joseph that Jesus have a proper burial. He went to Pilate, knowing full well that the Council would find out, and asked for Jesus' body so that he could give Jesus' body a proper burial. Joseph was not afraid to do what he felt was right. Neither fear of Pilate or the other council members could keep him from doing what he felt he should and must do.

May God help us to do the right thing and not be afraid of what others will think of us or do to us when we stand up for Jesus.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Mark 10:32-52 Following Jesus

Mark 10:32-52 NIV
As Jesus leads his followers on their journey to Jerusalem, he tells them that he is going to be killed and after he is killed he will rise, three days later. I'm not sure if the disciples fully grasp the significance of this, because James and John ask to sit at his right and left hand in His glory. Do they realize that in order to see His full glory they are going to have to follow Him with their own deaths?

Following Jesus is not the "walk in the park" that many would assume. The disciples didn't quite "get it" and I wonder if, sometimes, maybe we don't "get it," either. Following Jesus, means a life of service to others; not a life of serving ourselves. It means a life of carrying the cross that others might hear, see and believe.

Blind Bartimaeus wanted to see. Jesus came along and gave him sight. Once, Bartimaeus could see, he picked himself up and followed Jesus along the road to Jerusalem, on the way to the cross.

May God grant that our eyes should be opened so that we might follow Jesus wherever He may lead us.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Zechariah 2 - Good News! Release! Relief!

Good news! That's what chapter 2 of Zechariah is - Good News!

As I read this chapter, I was reminded of the vision of St. Teresa of Avila and her "Interior Mansion." What an awesome place this city of God is! In Zecharia, it is pictured as a city without walls. It doesn't need a wall because God, Himself, will be a wall of fire around it and He will be its glory within. (Zech 2:4,5)

And more... for all those who are oppressed - there will be relief - there will be release!

"For this is what the Lord Almighty says: 'After the Glorious One has sent me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye—  I will surely raise my hand against them so that their slaves will plunder them. Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me.

Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,' declares the Lord. ^'Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.'" (Zech 2:8-11 NIV)

God, indeed, has sent His only Son, born in a barn, died on a cross, raised from the grave, and ascended to the right hand of our Father, so that we might be free to live in His Awesome presence.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Ezekiel 21 - Who Shall Wear The Crown?

We have, this morning; yet, another warning that Jerusalem will be overthrown by Babylon. Ammon will be overthrown, as well.

"It will not be as it was: The lowly will be exalted and the exalted will be brought low." (Ezekiel 20:26 NIV)

God has a way of turning everything around. Those who think too highly of themselves will be brought down. The humble will be lifted up. That is not the way it works in this world; but, that is God's way. 

The LORD promises, through Ezekiel, that the one to whom the crown rightly belongs will ultimately wear it. The one who wears the crown was raised up in humility and reigns in glory at God's right hand. Jesus, who came to serve humankind, was willing to lay his life down, to wear the crown of thorns, and to be lifted up on the cross for our sakes. In this act of sacrifice, he was lifted to the heavenly realms, to ultimately sit at the right hand of God, our Father. The lowly has been exalted...

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb 12:1-2)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Isaiah 9 - The Light Has Dawned

The prophecy continues... Although, there will be war; although, there will be distress, there is hope for the righteous, for those who walk in the light of Christ.

"The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almightywill accomplish this."  (Isa 9:2,6, 7 NIV)

The prophecy concerning the coming Messiah. He has come. He is present, even now. The light of Christ does shine! The light has dawned! Yet, there are multitudes who have not, yet, seen the light and many who have seen the light who have retreated even further into darkness.

Hope is to be had for those who will live in this light that we have been given. Jesus the Christ, is that light. But, for those who continue to live in the darkness of their own ways, there are many woes to be had.

"By the wrath of the Lord Almighty
the land will be scorched
and the people will be fuel for the fire;
they will not spare one another.
On the right they will devour,
but still be hungry;
on the left they will eat,
but not be satisfied.
Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring:
Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh;
together they will turn against Judah.

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,his hand is still upraised."  (Isa 9:19-21)

 

It's not looking so good for those who live either on the right or the left...! In the light of Christ, seems to be the place to be.

 

Live in the light or the darkness? In peace or in war? Righteousness or Unrighteousness? May God help you to live life in the light of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Ecclesiastes 10 - Miscellanous Interesting Verses From Eccl 10

LOL!  You are reading the chapters aren't you? How about verse 2? "The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left." OK... So I won't go there today... But, I thought I'd at least mention it in the blog for the benefit of my friends on the right. It will make them smile. Remember, too, please, it is Solomon's saying, not mine. I'm not exactly sure what he meant by it, other than maybe he was referring to the right and left hand of God.

In case you're not taking my advice and you're not reading the scripture for each day, here are some other interesting and what I would consider pretty common sense ones:

"There is an evil I have seen under the sun, the sort of error that arises from a ruler:" (Eccl 10:5 NIV)  Has any one not witnessed the folly of some of our leaders? So often leaders, rulers, bosses, even servant/leaders in the church think that they are doing the best thing for the people, even while they are so out of touch with the people that they don't have a clue what the the people really need or want. Even pastors sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that they know what is best for a community, when they haven't the slightest clue... It has always amazed me that pastors will come to the U.P. (Upper Peninsula of Michigan) and think they are going to save us Yoopers from our own folly. They have ended up being very busy at changing our lifestyles, rather than accepting the way we live and work and play. They have worried about the fact that so many of us work hard, long hours and don't have all the riches the world has to offer. We have been considered a little backwards and backwoods by some.

I knew one who ended up spending a lot of time worrying about unionizing the logging industry! A lot of time was spent trying to change the way we think and how we live and very little time was spent proclaiming the awesomeness of the Kingdom given (given freely) to all who believe. I asked this one once what the proclamation of Jesus was. He didn't know. It made me wonder about our overseas missions, especially to those countries we consider third world. When missionaries go to other areas of the world, is their primary mission to bring the good news or is to change the people to think and live like we do in the United States? If you're going to be a missionary to the Massai, do you live in a dung hut alongside them sharing the love of God and the good news of His Kingdom or do you show up when it's comfortable trying to change their lifestyles? Are you more worried about westernizing them or proclaiming God's love and forgiveness for all people? It reminds me of how the church worked so hard with the government to Americanize the Native Americans and how many abuses occurred because of this "good will" gesture. (Another reason to think seriously about keeping church and state separate) Remember, just because we think everyone should be as materialistic as we are, doesn't mean everyone wants or needs to live like us. Just because we think we are right in the way we live, does not make it truth for everyone!

Just wondering... what makes a good leader? Is it someone who can serve people where their needs are (where they are) or is it someone who tries to mold everyone to be people just like themselves. If you're going to help someone, meet them where they are. Quit trying to drag them to the place where you want them to be. I quote St. Paul: " To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some." (1 Corinth 9:22)

"If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success." (10:10)
Anyone who has had to chop firewood to keep warm or cook knows the truth of this one. But, I suppose there are many who have not had to do this and don't know.

"If a snake bites before it is charmed, the charmer receives no fee." (10:11)
This is kind of a "no brainer" and makes me smile. If you're trying to charm a snake (whether a reptile or human) be careful, you may get bit or someone else may get hurt even if it is you who has disturbed the snake.

 ^"Through laziness, the rafters sag; because of idle hands, the house leaks." (10:18)
 If your rafters sag, it is no one's fault but your own. Unless, of course some natural disaster comes along and makes it so. I know about sagging rafters...

The house I presently live in has been almost completely remodeled since we purchased it. We originally bought it for a get-away for me. At the time, I was finding no time for vacations. If I was lucky, I would get 1 or 2 days off a month. There was just no time to pack up, go out of town and then come back the next day to unpack. We had tried it a few times, but the packing, unpacking, and travel time took up so much time there was no time to rest. So I started looking for a local camp on a river so I could set it up and get to it on my days off, with relative ease and without having to spend hours of the day off just to be able to rest for a few hours.

I fell in love with the location. It had a river at the mouth of a bay. It is definitely in the woods. It had a well and a sewer. But, here's the kicker. The rafters of the house sagged. They sagged so badly that there were 6"X6" beams holding up the ceilings throughout the rooms. The house was condemned. My husband was not impressed with the place. Not only was the house condemned, but it's located in wooded wetlands, which he refers to as a swamp. But, I knew this was the place for me. We began working on repairing it to be suitable for a camp that summer. That fall I resigned and we ended up moving in to it. Some of my family and friends were a little aghast that I would be living in a shack... (Thinking I should be like them and want what they want) The following summer, my husband spent a lot of time repairing the rafters and building an addition so that we would have a bit more space to live in. It took a lot of work to repair those rafters. But, they are repaired, the roof no longer leaks, and with God's blessing, the house will stand at least as long as I do. 

You're rafters sagging? Your roof leaking? The answer to a sagging rafters and a roof that leaks is to fix them and if you're neighbor no longer is able to fix their own due to age or infirmity fix theirs for them, as well!

One last verse to give you something to think about this morning:
"As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor." (Eccl 10:1)

God's Peace - Pr. J

 

2 Chronicles 31 - Good and Right and Faithful Steward

"This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered." (31:20-21 NIV) 

This chapter is a wonderful example of good stewardship - stewardship in many areas.  I probably think about stewardship - taking care of all that God has given us (including: His grace, forgiveness, eternal life) - at least once a day.  Lately, I've been trying to figure out what we should do for our annual stewardship program or lack of it.  I hate programs, but we do focus on stewardship during October.  I've been trying to talk one of the most faithful men that I know into doing a table talk on stewardship.  I'm not sure if he will.  I am sure he is reading this and the chapter for today; though, because he is also faithful in the stewardship of God's word.  He is faithful in many things.  (Matt 25)

I often hear people complain about how little they have.  They don't have enough money to help others.  They don't have enough time to worship.  They don't have.  The reality, I often see, is that they often have a great deal.  The harder reality is that they just manage things poorly.  They are very poor stewards of God's gifts to them.  God is the last person they take the time to think about or thank when it comes time to using up the gifts of God and consequently they lose a lot - they throw it away - instead of investing or reinvesting for the glory of God.  

Remembering that all that we have actually belongs to God and that we are simply caretakers of it helps me to keep things in perspective. 

May God help us to do what is good and right and faithful before Him.